Add a comment to Walking and Hiking Anecdote

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Want to comment on the following anecdote from Sandra Scott ?

Nasty Experience with loose dogs on The Sandstone Trail, Frodsham
I had a particularly nasty experience whilst walking along the Sandstone Trail on Friday 19th October 2012.
At the bottom the Bakers Dozen staircase at the end of a particularly enjoyable walk along the sandstone trail, we encountered a party of people with 6 - 8 dogs all running freely in a pack. As the party were at the top of the staircase with the pack dogs running out of control & the owners were calling the dogs with no avail.
I felt particularly uncomfortable with the situation and my husband and I decided to wait at the bottom of the staircase until the chaos had subsided. After a five minute or so wait we were able to continue up the stair case.
As we approached the path leading to the car park, we were ambushed by one of the dog owners with a barrage of personal & abusive language. I was shouted at to the tune of "the walk is not just for humans" & "you should lighten up you f********* sour faced b*****" At this point I was utterly shocked & tried to explain that we had waited patiently. The torrent of abuse continued for some minutes to my shock & disbelief.
We felt threatened by the behaviour of this particular "lady" in the dog owner party, and had to make a diversion across the golf course in order to avoid further confrontation.
Can you please advise what the legal stance where dog owners/dog walkers are concerned and Frodsham's policy on Dog Control Orders. We now feel that we cannot walk freely along the trail, it would appear that dog owners feel it is their right to walk without the dogs being in control or an a lead in public places. Whilst we appreciate the right for all to use the walk some compromise for non-dog owners should be in place. It is becoming apparent that the "free walking" of dogs without a lead also leaves a trail of defecation which is very unpleasant.
I would appreciate your comments & advice so that we can feel comfortable enough to continue to walk the trail with confidence.
Kind regards

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